Primary menu

Post navigation

Giro d’Italia: Dumoulin tests Froome on Mount Etna

Tom Dumoulin (Team Sunweb) crossed the stage 6 finish line atop Mount Etna, not feeling dramatically satisfied with his first high-mountain performance, but at least able to say that he was one of the few GC riders to test Chris Froome’s climbing form.

Dumoulin was impressed by Froome, who responded well to an acceleration by the Dutchman in the closing kilometres despite looking – according to Dumoulin – to be in trouble at one point.

The Giro d’Italia‘s defending champion crossed the line in eighth place at 26 seconds behind stage winner Esteban Chaves (Mitchelton-Scott) and stays in second overall at 16 seconds behind new race leader Simon Yates.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I was good today, but I was definitely not the best, that was Yates,” Dumoulin told reporters afterwards.

“Chaves’ [performance] was hard to evaluate because he started the climb with a minute’s lead. But Yates was outstanding. He was the only one who could put in a major attack and get away. He’s going to be a dangerous contender.

“It was a very hard climb, it went up 40 kilometres, with steep parts and then less steep parts. At first, I didn’t feel good, in the middle it was better, but I didn’t have much left in the tank by the end.